The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Cable Lubrication Ideas?

I recently bought some heater control cables and a throttle cable. The heater cables are plastic jacketed, and have an inner plastic liner. The throttle cable is more old-school, with a spiral-wound metal jacket.

I'm asking for suggestions for cable lubrication. I used graphite for the metal jacket, and so far, have used nothing on the plastic jacket.

(That plastic jacket, even though it doesn't look old, sure does glide really nice!)

Thanks for any input.

Bill

The easiest way to lube a cable is to slide a 10" piece of fuel line that will fit the jacket tightly over one end, put some light oil in it (ATF, air tool oil, etc) and gently blow on the end of the fuel line with the air compressor until you push the oil to the other end.

That's a good idea for a technique. It would be a good way to get the lube in the middle of the jacket, instead of just the ends.

But what about lube choice? Going beyond what could be pushed through the jacket, what should be? :confused:

Bill

Edit: I searched for "cable lube" and found a thread that mentions Remington DriLube. Shame on me for searching for "cable lubrication!" Any additional ideas entertained.

I like Boshield T9 lubricate , developed by Boeing co. it leaves a dry film that doesn’t attract a lot of dust or grit , stops rust , lubes well and stay on in tough conditions see their web site at http://www.boeshield.com . I keep a bottle in my rusty old truck use it often . it also works well on bicycle chains, metal and wood working tools

I was going to suggest spray silicon because it doesn't attract dust. However, next time I'm at Sears I'm going to buy some of that Boeshield. It looks interesting and I'm always looking for good products like that. Thanks for this post.

ask the motorcyclist on this list.

use a motorcycle cable lubricator. A dedicated lubricator is the best solution to apply to control cables. :p
I used white litium spray grease on ALL my motorcycle cables !!!
you can buy one of these little puppies at any good M/C shop.
it clamps on and allows you to insert a nozzle tip DIRECTLY INTO and lubes the entire entire inner cable.

http://www.jpcycles.com/productgrou...h=cable%20oiler&store=All&page=1

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/lubing_control_cables/photo_01.html

if you wanted to lube a non jacketed cable, slip some heat-shrink over it and it should then keep the lube inside

One concern is with the cable you've already put dry graphite in. Don't put any liquid in that cable or it'll turn into gunk inside the housing.

if you don't want the graphite run a carb cleaner thru it w/ the cable lubricator
then run lithium grease

As on old bike rider I say use a motorcycle cable lubricator. You can put whatever lubricant you choose in the plunger and it will force it all the way through and makes your cables work smoothly. I have done that many times on my dirt and street bikes and it keeps the cables working good and they don't wear out or break as often.

Those are some good ideas! I never thought of the motorcycle application. I kept thinking bicycle. So there is a lube applicator? What'll they think of next?

I'm familiar with Boe-lube, but not Boe-Shield.

It seems to me that smooth cable operation is based on some lubricant in the casing, but maybe more important is to keep from having corrosion inside of it. That corrosion would really increase the friction. Lubrication that prevents corrosion seems ideal.

I got those vent doors down at the kick panels working really well! I'm optimistic that the heater cables will be equally smooth, if not better because of the new cables.

Thanks again for the replies. It is good to have them archived so that the next guy who does a search can read the suggestions.

Bill

Chevyman, show us one, would you??
I looked for a cable lubricator to do my parking brake cables, never did find anything that would work.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

if you look at my first comment i have shown you two!!

and yes I have used mine on my big parking brake cable... be sure to place a rag around the backing plate area where the cable enters so no grease comes in contact with the shoes.

life IS easier when lubed !!

Sure did look at your pictures Jim, not ignoring your offering, but I didn't see any plunger associated with them like the chevyman was describing. I thought he might have found something that was different than what you found. Your oilers are just fine for just that, oil in an aerosol can, but I don't see how it would work for a parking brake cable to get grease through the housing. A clutch cable and a parking cable are similar, but not the same.
In an attempt to make a cable lubricator, I made a tube up in the lathe from 1” alum bar stock about 10” long that goes completely over the threaded end of the cable and clamps around the housing. One end is open where it clamps, the other end is closed with a grease fitting in it. I tried ‘O’ rings for seals at first then a split clamp using sheet neoprene or a seal. I worked for a several days trying to get the end sealed up but the hydraulic pressure of the grease gun just forced the fixture off the housing. The cable/housing was soaked for a few days in solvent and all the old grease was worked out then I lubed about 80% of the cables length with grease or as much as was exposed at either end of its travel. The cables pulled through the housing freely but there is still 8” or 10” inches in the middle that you can’t get any grease to.
And that is why I was asking the chevymon, about his, oiler with the plunger.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Go to Big Creek Outfitters website and look at their "universal lubricator." This one has what looks like a regular zerk fitting. Seems to me that this could dispense just about any compound through a grease gun, like lithium. I don't understand how it would attach to a cable jacket that has no fitting on the end.

Their applications list shows it to have very broad usage, including bike cables, three wheelers, and speedometer cables.

The instructions page has the most info.

$25

Bill

Denny, I'm sorry to not be able to post pictures, I don't have any camera or capability to do so but I will do my best to describe my cable oiler. It is a plastic cylinder similar to a hypodermic needle casing and the "needle" end is a connector with a slot in it to slip over the cable and has a soft seal to go against the casing so the lubricant will be forced into the inside and around the cable. It really works great. I'd suggest going to an offroad motorcycle shop to buy one, that's where I got mine. Incidentally they are cheap, as I remember mine only cost a couple dollars. Since I mostly used synthetic oil in my bikes that's what I used in the oiler. Just for kicks the other day I went to an old dirt bike of mine that I haven't ridden in about 20 years, the cables still work smoothly. I had new e-brake cables made for my '54 GMC 100 and gave them a shot before installing, they work as smooth as warm butter on a baby's butt.

Denny
I have used this lubricator to grease my 12 bolt rear end parking brake cable.
I've used it on my motocycle cables and the truck throttle/ choke cables. it works on big clutch /brake cables for Indian & harley's. you push the aerosol can spray button down till grease comes out the other end, and you will hear it exit. I've used spray lithium white grease or motorcycle chain spray grease which is some sticky stuff.

they make this in a spray can now !!! wild huh .....
and
It works JUST fine.
be sure to place a rag at the backing plate side so the grease does not get on the shoes.
HONEST .... it works !!! :p
these things are about 10 bucks.

Now that one (Big Creek)looks like it would work on the Parking Brake cables. Maybe not that particular one but using the same principle with a longer body to allow you to completely cover the threaded end on the cable. It uses a rubber compression sleeve to seal the end. That is where I was having a hell of a time sealing the one I made. I see now how to modify mine.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I've always used good 'ol Lubri-plate....(a white lithium based grease that was OEM)... and injected it into the cable housings with a needle applicator on my grease gun.
Michael

Old man WD40 is probably rolling over in his grave right now!

"Isn't this the reason why I created such a universal lubricant??????" :mad: :hammering:

darn!!!! Went to Sears today to see about getting some of the Boeshield T-9...... and a 12oz can is 20 BUCKS!!!

I'm thinking I'll stay with the old stuff that's worked for years....at under 5 bucks....

Michael

I went to a local motorcycle shop and found the cable lubricator for ~$9. I bought the lubricant they use in their shop called "Cable Life" for about $6.

I've shot Cable Life, Smith & Wesson Dry Lube, white lithium, and WD40 through the lubricator. All seem to work fine, except sometimes I can't get a really good, tight seal against the jacket, depending on the jacket type.

All of my cables work just fine.

I've offered my lubricator to a co-worker with a boat. He was facing a $60 service bill to have a guy at a boat store use the same tool.

Bill